When I heard about your death I was truly saddened. I grew up watching the Golden Girls with my paternal grandmother and your sense of style made her laugh. I have cherished those memories of her since she passed in '97. Thank you for giving me those memories! May you rest in peace, for I know that you are up in Heaven with Estelle Getty entertaining our loved ones!

Bea thankyou for the memories i always loved the mother daughter relationship you and estelle had may you rest in peace and you estelle are up in heaven making every one laugh ill always remember you . KELLIE

In our home, we have always compared each other to a particular character on the Golden Girls. I was always. Dorothy and my friend was always Rose. We were loyal and faithful fans of the show. Losing Dorothy is like losing a part of our family. She will be forever missed. Our hearts go out to her family and friends.

Whenever I think of Bea Arthur, I either laugh or smile. She was a truly gifted individual. I was heartbroken when I heard of her passing, but knew that heaven was now laughing. Several years ago I heard a wonderful story about Bea. I worked as a manager at a local video store in southern California. One day I got talking with a lovely elderly couple who frequented the store. It turns out that the gentleman and his wife knew Bea quite well. I told them how I had always admired her and loved her character on the Golden Girls. They told me how that was really only one side of Bea. That in fact she was a very private person who was kind, loving and extremely giving. At the time, a friend of Beas had fallen ill and was unable to care for herself. When Bea heard of this, she took the woman in and cared for her and helped her with her medical bills. I was so moved when I heard that story, but then I thought to myself, that totally sounds like something Bea would do. She had a heart of Gold. Thank you Bea for being a friend, a truly wonderful friend. God Bless Bea Arthur (1922-2009)

I grew up with Bea Arthur and then the Golden Girls. I am sure i have seen all the shows many many times.... and still love them... My Love and thoughts are with you Rue and Betty for your loss, we have all had... My love and warm thoughts ... forever Robert May

Because of Bea's passing I feel in my heart that I am crying for my sister and truly a best friend. I used to watch the GIRLS on Lifetime twice a day,Now, I watch them on the Hallmark channel three times a day. Because of you being Dorothy you helped me to become the more confident woman that people see now. I trully learned from you,and I loved you.

We were devastated when Estelle passed,now Bea.A very sad day in our household.They make me laugh to this day,although I have seen every episode 4 or 5 or 10 times over.She was a great actress and will be sadly missed.Rue and Betty ,if you are reading these tributes,our hearts go out to you for losing a great friend and fellow actor.We love,love you all,God bless and keep us laughing.Forever a golden girl,vicki. three of us always said we were the golden girls

jim s

16 years ago

words can not describe the heartfelt emptyness and lost i feel inside i have been a loyal and steadfast fan of bea since all in the family, i saw all episodes of maude and loved her from the start then i follow her to the G girls and fell in love with the show till the very end of golden palace i was struck with sadness at estelle's passing, the lord does take all the good ones, may you rest in peace Bea you are truly a Golden angle now along with estelle. i will always love you. jim in Myrtle Beach Sc

I am 33 years old and love the Golden Girls very much. I watch them 3 times a day on wetv and hallmark channel. You were always my favorite golden girl. I loved your confidence and witty charm. You will be missed very much. I will continue to watch you everyday. May you rest in peace and may peace find your family.

May the Lord Bless You in His Kingdom and I know you will keep him smiling as you did everyone down here. You were a very Special Lady and a class actress.I will miss you.

I related to you, as being a woman 5'9" tall, and learned from you to not look at my height, but to be the best person, friend that I can be and to always look for the humor, as there is always humor. That is what you taught me, and forever I will remember, because of you, I always find the humor. You are an Icon to all woman. My thoughts and prayers to your family and friends. May you Rest in Peace.

My wife and I watch the reruns every day. It makes us laugh and feel so much better. We will never forget you.

I have watched Bea Author since she had her show Maude I will miss her terrilbly I always wanted to be like her when I'm at that age she always had class!!

I will miss you Bea Arthur. Thanks for all the laughs you gave all.

Bea and family, Thanks so much for all of the happy times that I had the pleasure of enjoying your talent. I'm still absolutely hooked on The Golden Girls, a wonderful showcase for you and the other "girls". You'll be missed and not forgotten. Rest in peace beautiful lady. Eileen

i will love you bea. always i love the golden girls you guys are my favorites for ever i keep going on i wll cry again tell sophia MA. hello i grew up with you every sat nite on nbc the best times of my life thank all of you for being born rue, bea,estelle,betty, i love you forever. if inever get to met you god bless you all.

Watching Larry King and can't stop crying. Time passes, memories stay...What a crazy place we live in. I have had a great joy to meet Rue McClanahan, wish I met all of them. Will always enjoy my favorite show The Golden Girls! Will pass it on my kids!

Me and my husband would like to send our condolence to Bea Arthurs family from Minnesota God bless her and keep her in peace.We hope her family copes well with their big loss. We will all miss her very much indeed.

I Am So Bummed To Hear of The Passing of Bea Arthur. I grew up watching her as Maude, I wish they would make DVD of the show Maude, i would bye them. I also loved her on The Golden Girls and Watch it everyday Three times A Day. I will never get tired of the Girls and as long as The Girls are on TV I will watch it. I love her on all in the family also, I loved how she stood up to Archie Bunker that was the priceless and the coolest thing. I cried when I heard of her passing. She was like a family memeber to me, I grew up watching this great, funny, witty actress. Ms. Arthur you will forever be in my heart I will never forget. Heaven was waiting for you, you must have everyone up there in stitches, cracking them up. My Deepest Sympathy Goes Out To Her Family and Friends and Fans. RIP MS. BEA ARTHUR

I am 33 yrs old and have been huge fan of the Golden Girls since they first aired. I watch the reruns of the shows 2 times a day. I have even got my daugthers watching the episodes. There is nothing better than a good classic sitcom and Golden Girls fits it perfectly! When Dorothy got married on the last episode to Blanche's Uncle Lucas, I cry every single time! The girls are genuine and you can't fake that kind of chemistry. Thanks for the laughs Bea! We will miss you "my lil' spumoni face" ...to quote stanley..you're beautiful babe!

I am 35, just turned it today lol watched em every sat night growing up and Maude in reruns. She was the best!! The more I read about Ms Arthur the more impressed I am by her. Her comedic timing was amazing she had an amazing presence on stage, and boy could she put Archie Bunker in his place! LOL I am also a big animal lover and did a lot of volunteering at animal shelters when I was younger so its so nice to hear about all the work they do and did against animal cruelty. I was very sad when Estelle Getty passed and I am also very saddened by Bea's passing. I do have to say I was a little confused as to why the others did not attend Estelle's funeral though,,,,,I do hope Rue and Betty will attend Beas. Thank you Bea for hrs of laughter and rest in peace!!

BEA ARTHUR WAS FANTASTIC...I LOVE THE GOLDEN GIRLS AND WATCH THE SHOWS THREE TIMES A DAY..WHEN I HEARD OF HER DEATH I WAS IN TOTAL SHOCK..MAY GOD WATCH OVER HER CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN AND I KNOW THAT ESTELLE GETTY AND STAN EDELMAN WELCOMED HER WITH OPEN ARMS. I ALWAYS LOVED THE WAY SHE SHOWED HER LOVE FOR HER MOTHER ON THE SHOW AND THE WAY SHE WOULD TREAT STAN. I AM GOING TO MISS HER VERY MUCH, BUT I WILL CONTINUE TO WATCH THE SHOWS BECAUSE I LOVE THE GOLDEN GIRLS.

I've been a "Golden Girls" fan 4ever & even turned on some of my younger friends to them(including making my boyfriend watch). I like to think that is what true friendship is about, they all accepted each other for who they were. Their dialog, stories and timing made the show one of a kind that could never be replicated. I also was impresssed when I saw an autographed picture of Bea at Laurie Cabot's shop. Blessed Be Bea and Estelle A true ending of an era.

When I was a kid my parents fought a lot, my siblings were older and had left home, and I was there trying to figure out what was going on and where I belonged. But, now, thinking back, there were 30 minutes out of each week that I knew mom, dad and I could be together and everything was ok for those 30 minutes. They were the minutes Bea, Rue, Estelle and Betty shared with us. Even in those young years I got Bea's timing and humor, and pride myself on having even just a little bit of it myself. It seems so over done, but I gotta say it. Thank you for being a friend. "The worst thing in life is unexpressed gratitude." - Sev Crawford

to bea well what can we all say but THANKING YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND,wouldnt be enough for what you gave us all and to you my friend may you now peacfully be at rest and let the show go on as for me WELL ALWAYS BE BOSOM BUDDIES FRIENDS SISTERS AND ABOVE ALLPALS GOOD BYE MY FRIEND ILL ALWAYS REMEMBER YOU NOW AND WHEN I PERFORM SINCERELY MZ DOLLY ROZEE

I loved Bea Arthur as 'Dorothy' in the Golden Girls, and her role as "Maude" as well. I continue to watch the reruns. Her clever wit and delivery in comedy was hilarious! She is right up there with Lucille Ball as the two top female situation comedic actresses.

Such talent,such wit,what a loss!I think I know every episode of the Golden Girls but continue to view the show for great humor and true human relationships,Bye Bea,luv ya!

I was saddened to hear that Bea Arthur had passed away. I've always been a big fan of hers since I first saw her on "All in the Family". I believe she was the first woman on tv who was portrayed as a strong self confident woman. Her comedic timing was priceless. I have seen every episode of "The Golden Girls" probably 100 times and I just can't pass them up. I rank it up there with "I Love Lucy". My thoughts and condolences to her family and friends. They dont make them like her anymore.

All the saints are happy to have Bea in their company. She will keep them all rolling in laughter. I will miss you , Bea.

Even thought you are gone but never will be forgotten.Rest in peace.

I was sad to read that Bea Arthur passed this weekend. I had personal history with her. In 1976 I moved to Los Angeles from San Francisco, where I had just been "the naked guy" in Clint Eastwood's The Enforcer. I had no lines, but because I was required to be naked in the scene, I was given my Screen Actors Guild card, the holy grail for a budding actor. Much to my chagrin, you won't find me in the credits, but I'm the naked guy on the bed in the scene when the bad guy, whose being chased by Dirty Harry, falls through the skylight and crashes into the midst of a porn movie being shot. My mother was so proud. All I see when I watch it now is that I once had a beautiful head of hair. But I digress...I moved to Los Angeles (as crew with A Chorus Line, another story), and, as is my wont, got involved with SAG union activities. I was serving on the SAG Morals & Ethics Committee in 1977 when Anita Bryant announced that she was bringing her pitiful, small-minded ignorance, intolerance and fear to California in the form of support for State Senator John Briggs' Proposition 6, the Prop 8 of the day, that would have forbid Gay people...or any of their supporters...from holding teaching jobs in California. Nice, huh? I decided that the Screen Actors Guild needed to be the first industry union to come out against Prop 6, and decided the only way to get that done was to get some big star to appear before the Morals & Ethics Committee and demand it. Enter Bea Arthur. Ms. Arthur had just made a splash in Norman Lear's Maude, and would receive the first of two Emmy's that year for her groundbreaking work as the title character. On television there just wasn't a bigger star. And if the only role she'd ever played was Vera Charles opposite Angela Lansbury in Mame, she would forever be a star in my firmament, (and opposite Lucille Ball in the film even if Lucille Ball was so miserably miscast). But I digress, again...It was just about this time of the year that I sat down and wrote a letter to Ms. Arthur, outlining my idea. I mailed the letter and didn't think anything more about it. It was a shot in the dark. Weeks later, May 16th was my birthday, and I was getting ready to go out on the town with friends. Literally, just as we were heading out the front door, the phone rang (cell phones were still a Dick Tracy fantasy...I could still decide whether or not I was going to stop and answer) and I decided to answer. I picked up, said hello, and heard the unmistakable, gravelly contralto of Bea Arthur, "Is Bo Young there?" "Speaking," I said, my heart pounding out of my chest, my wide eyes popping out of their sockets as I pantomimed to my friends at the door, who were wondering what was going on. "Well hello," she growled on, "I just wanted to let you know that I received your letter and I wanted you to know I'll do whatever you want me to do." To which I responded, with breathless gratitude, "Oh god bless you Ms. Arthur!" To which she responded, "What's this 'god bless you' shit?...I didn't sneeze." The surprise was finding out, later, just how shy a woman this powerhouse actor was. When I met with her she insisted that I write something for her to say when she came before the committee because she was sure she would become tongue-tied and not be effective. Maude. Not effective. Right. She did everything I asked, just as promised, to perfection. Reading my lines to the committee, which immediately came through with the required vote, which then went on to the larger Steering Committee of the Screen Actors Guild, which was the first industry union to oppose the Briggs Initiative. As a result I was brought into the campaign as "assistant state press secretary" to Sally Fisk. Later, I had cause to call Ms. Arthur again, to see if she would appear at a fundraiser we were holding for No On Six. Unbeknownst to me, she had undergone a face lift just weeks before, and as a result her face was still puffy and black and blue. She still had bandages on her face, albeit small ones...and she appeared at our fundraiser. She said it was more important than what she looked like.

Her sense of humor must surely put a constant smile on God's face. She has left heart prints in every one's memeories of what love and laughter is all about..

I am 40, and I watched the Golden Girls in their hey day with my mother on Saturdy nights. I also watched Bea Arthur on "Maude" and "All in the Family". I will most remember her as "Dorothy Zbornak". Her timing was flawless and she was a strong, confident woman. I'd like to think that I have a little "Dorothy Zbornak" in me. I now watch "Golden Girls" on The Hallmark chanel with my daughter. And we both enjoy the show, it's timeless!! Rest in Peace Bea and give Estelle my best! I miss both of you.

Lissa winland

16 years ago

i am 34 yrs, and i have watched the Golden Girls in their day and i still watch them those girls are all a hoot always together knowing what real friendship will always be! Maude and all in the family was also the best ! always had me in stiches and smilen how she always went after Archy lololol Very confident person i love that in a woman pride and respect! she will always be in my heart ! Thankyou for all the memories She will be greatly missed always lissa winland in ohio

When I learned of Bea's passing, I thought, "My girls are slowly leaving me." I'm 40 years old and I watched the Golden Girls every Saturday night during my college years and had been watching them on Lifetime and now the Hallmark & WE channels. They are and will always be a part of my life and I will never get tired of watching them. Bea was a tremendous talent!!! I'm sure she's up there with Estelle. God Bless you Bea!!! You will always be in my heart.

Just wanted to send my condolences to Bea Arthurs's family. What a great actress and lady she was. She took on roles that very few others would even attempt. She will be greatly missed but will always be remembered through the shows we are still able to enjoy. Thank you for living your dream and allowing us to go along for the ride

My mom is 82, I am 56 & my daughter is 29. But we all loved the Golden Girls. Bea Arthur had the kind of comedy that attracted all generations. She was a familiar face in our living room for many years. We're still watching re-runs. I feel like we've lost a best friend in Bea Arthur . May God Bless & Keep her.

I never new too much about the golden girl .until i got married ,one night my husband sat and watch 4 old funny lady I thought to my self o.k he's not watching the game that's when i sat with him and i laughed so hard my whole family now has all the episodes it now seems like where raising a new generation of golden girls lovers my son who is 5 now, sings along as the episodes start so i feel like i just lost a very funny friend

I never new too much about the golden girl .until i got married ,one night my husband sat and watch 4 old funny lady I thought to my self o.k he's not watching the game that's when i sat with him and i laughed so hard my whole family now has all the episodes it now seems like where raising a new generation of golden girls lovers my son who is 5 now, sings along as the episodes start so i feel like i just lost a very funny friend .

There are so many things on TV these days that are just not worth watching at all. I have watched The Golden Girls since they first came out on the air, and I still watch them today everyday. The laughter that this show has broght to m life over the years, as well as the lessons I have learned are irreplacable and like no others. There will also only ever be one "Dorothy", as she was one of a kind and a wonderful individual both on and off the stage. My prayers are with her and all those who will love and miss her tremendously.

Dolores

16 years ago

I totally agree with you about there not being quality programs on tv anymore. I am SO tired of shows like "The Cougar", "The Bachelor" the so called reality shows that are so far from reality its pathetic. What horrible role models there are for the young generation to follow today. I have always loved watching "The Golden Girls". I know them by heart practically. Ill chose this show and others like it over the crap they are peddling now... anyday.

Just would like to send out my thoughts and prayers to Bea Arthur's family. I've watched this great lady for years on the Golden Girls and let me tell you, every time I do watch an episode, it still seems like the first time for each show no matter how many times I've seen it. I work at a Youth Residential Center nights from 11-7am and in our spare time, the Golden Girls are our entertainment for 1 hour and a half every night. When I heard of Bea's passing I was very saddened and felt as though I'd lost a great friend, somebody I'd always known even though I'd never had the pleasure of meeting. My friends and I,at work will continue to watch this program each night but will be somewhat saddened because of the loss. She was a wonderful enteratainer and a joy to watch and she will be missed by all. God Bless you all!

For Starters My heart and prayers go out to all Ms. Bea's Family & Friends who loved her I know how they must feel loosing a loved one like her she was a great role model for how she made people laughed from her movies and sitcoms. When the day I seen the golden girls I was hooked they were like the type of mother and friend I always wanted to share my emotions with, It will from this day on everytime I watch a golden girl episode and see her and estelle that I won't begin to cry knowing that they are not around anymore only thru spirit and tv. So These words goes out to you from me "Thank You for being a friend traveled down the road and back again your heart IS and always will be pure your a pal and the greatest gift a person could ever recieve Please Dorothy as you will be remembered to me Rest In Peace you are a GOLDEN ANGEL TO US ALL NOW". I Love You even thou I never got to meet you in person I wish I did. Signed Your Fan Donald W Gresham Jr Age 39

I don't usually respond on these type sites, but I couldn't let this pass. " Dorothy " and the other girls are just like FAMILY, so when her death was announced, my heart actually hurt. Death is a part of Life, but knowing she's not here has sadden me. I will continue looking at theGOLDEN GIRLS and the recorded epidsodes I have on the old VHS tapes. :-) Rest on mother. Love Ya! ! !

I loved Bea Arthur. I remember watching her as Maude with my grandmother (I was too young to get the humor than) then on Golden Girls. My daughter and I now watch reruns of Golden Girls. Even though I never met her, I felt a connection beucase Bea and my grandmother could have been twins! I always said that as long was Bea was alive so was my grandmother. They were even born the same year. Rest in Peace...you were so special to many.

Another angel has taken her wings. If I can live my life, make people laugh and be a success such as bea than my living here on this earth will not have been in vain. My prayers go out the family know that earth has no sorrows that heaven cannot heal. Some people come into our lives and quickly go, others leave footprints in our hearts and we are never the same, bea was that person she left footprints of love, laughter, joy, hope and happinress not only for her family but her extended (TV viewers) families as well. Love you bea and will miss you, rest in peace!

you are soooooooooooo funny i love you and may god hold you close to his heart

Julia

16 years ago

Thanks for years of laughter..Life will not be the same without your humor..a huge fan

I cried when I read that she had died. I have watched every episode of the Golden Girls and remember the first time I saw her when I was a child, when she was on All in the Family and then Maude. Even though I have watched the Golden Girls over and over, I laugh out loud and have found comfort in these shows. I feel as if I have lost a friend and even though I never knew her, I will miss her. Hollywood lost a amazing woman. We lost a amazing friend.

I have laughed alot because of you. You are one of the funniest ladies I have known. I watched you more than any other series on t.v. Rest In Peace